Medvedev talks with Afghan, Pakistani leaders

[August 18, 2010]  MOSCOW (AP) -- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Wednesday offered Pakistan support in dealing with catastrophic floods as he hosted the leaders of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Tajikistan for talks on efforts to stabilize the region.

Medvedev began his meeting with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari in Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi by expressing condolences over the floods that have killed about 1,500 and affected some 20 million people -- or one Pakistani in nine.

The four presidents are expected to issue a statement after their talks urging stronger international support for the flood victims.

The four-way talks at Medvedev's seaside residence will also focus on fighting terrorism and drugs spreading from Afghanistan. The Russian president has previously held similar talks, seeking to strengthen Russia's clout in the volatile region.

Before the joint meeting, he held separate bilateral talks with Zardari, Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Tajik leader Emomali Rakhmon.

"Russia fully supports Afghan efforts to restore civil peace in the country," Medvedev said in televised remarks at the start of the meeting. "We support the Afghan government's fight against terror and are ready to provide support for that."

Medvedev's foreign affairs adviser Sergei Prikhodko told reporters Tuesday that Russia was looking into a possibility of selling more helicopters to Afghanistan.

NATO has urged Russia to provide helicopters and training for the Afghan air force and to train more local police. Moscow has responded that it is willing to help -- fearing that a return to power by Taliban extremists would destabilize ex-Soviet Central Asia and threaten Russia's security -- but not for free.

The Russian support for NATO- and U.S.-led operations so far has been limited to offering transit for railway shipments of non-lethal supplies and air corridors for weapons supplies, as supply routes through Pakistan have come under increased Taliban attack.

Russian officials also have strongly urged NATO and U.S. forces to do more to stem a flow of drugs from Afghanistan that to Russia.

Medvedev told Karzai Wednesday that tackling Afghan drugs requires strong international cooperation. "It's our common problem, a problem for all countries of the region, and we must take consistent and coordinated actions," he said.

Afghanistan provides more than 90 percent of the heroin consumed in the world, and the bulk of it flows through ex-Soviet Central Asia and Russia.

The problem of drug abuse is of vital concern for Russia -- where cheap, abundant Afghan heroin has helped fuel a surge in addiction rates, and injection drug use has been a key factor in the spread of the virus that causes AIDS.

[Associated Press; By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV]

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